Jubilee line replacement buses to serve Southwark and Waterloo

Transport for London has announced that this weekend's Jubilee line replacement bus service will run west of London Bridge, despite previous claims that this wasn't possible.

Caroline Pidgeon AM has criticised the Mayor's "poor excuses"

Last year Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "While Waterloo was considered as the destination for the rail replacement bus service from Canada Water, it was not pursued because there is not enough space for additional buses to turn or wait for customers."

The Jubilee line is suspended between Green Park and Stratford this weekend due to the continuing upgrade work.

Rail replacement bus service E will run between Waterloo and Canada Water, via Southwark, London Bridge and Bermondsey.

During previous Jubilee line shutdowns the bus service had run between Bank and Canada Water, with passengers west of London Bridge directed to use bus routes 381 and RV1 instead.

"The tube closures on the Jubilee Line are creating enough havoc without an inadequate replacement bus service," says Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon who first raised the matter with the Mayor last summer.

"I welcome TfL's long-awaited replacement bus service which includes Waterloo. Despite the Mayor's previous claims that this was not possible it clearly can be done.

"It is just a pity that such poor excuses were previously made by the Mayor. It is local people who have continued to suffer unnecessary inconvenience."

We invited Transport for London to comment on its change of heart, but no response had been received by the time of publication.

On Monday TfL confirmed that it is in discussions with Tube Lines about a programme of weekend closures on the Jubilee line up to October this year.